1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for stowing, and preventing the contamination of, an electrical terminal end connector on a trailer wiring harness and more particularly, to a storage and protector caddy which has electrically nonconductive female sockets and male plugs for mating with complementally formed electrically conductive male terminals and female sockets on the terminal end connector.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objects
It is conventional to provide electrical power to the lights of a trailer via wiring harnesses on the draft vehicle and the trailer which have mating terminal end connectors that are detachably coupled together. These connectors each have one or more electrically conductive male pin terminals and one or more electrically conductive socket terminals which receive the complementally formed, female and male electrically conductive terminals on the other connector. When the draft vehicle is not coupled to the trailer, and the wiring harnesses are not coupled together, the harnesses are typically left hanging from either the draft vehicle or the trailer and exposed to the elements. Sometimes, dirt, snow and ice fill the electrically conductive socket members and thus, cannot be used until cleaned. This is particularly frustrating to the user. Additionally, the uncoupled connector ends on the draft vehicle and/or trailer will sometimes drag on the ground and become damaged. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel device for preventing dirt, ice and other foreign matter from contaminating the trailer light harness coupling members when not in use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide new and novel dummy receptacles for stowing the disconnected, complementally formed terminal end connectors for a trailer light wiring harness when not in use.
Devices have been provided heretofore for preventing such contamination, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,209 issued to Carroll H. Converse, Jr. et al on Jan. 10, 1995, which includes a hollow storage enclosure in which the terminal end connector can be disposed. A somewhat analogous device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,641 issued to William F. Eversole, Jr. on Apr. 19, 1988 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,427 issued to Linnea H. Pearson on Jul. 10, 1990. The prior art devices have several moving parts which are subject to failure. The prior art devices require substantial manipulation of various moving parts which is cumbersome and time consuming. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a one-piece storage caddy for storing and protecting a terminal connector for a trailer harness.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a storage caddy of the type described which has no moving parts.
Devices, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,182,280 issued to F. X. Daut et al on May 4, 1965 has been provided for protecting contact pins in electrical connectors. A waterproof cap protector has been provided for protecting an electrical cable connector having a male pin projections such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,428,323 issued to E. Winer on Sep. 30, 1947. The latter two mentioned devices do not have mechanism for concurrently protecting female electrical sockets in such a connector. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a trailer light wiring harness storage and protection device which will concurrently, adequately protect and detachably seal both male and female electrical terminals in electrical connectors.
Various other patents which are of interest in demonstrating the state of art, but not disclosing the new and novel construction disclosed and claimed herein, are illustrated in the following cited United States patents:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee Issue Date ______________________________________ 2,729,797 V. Kobler et al Jan. 3, 1956 5,514,009 Hughes May 7, 1996 4,396,245 Lane Aug. 2, 1983 ______________________________________
A large number of trailer wiring harnesses include a motor vehicle mounted, four-way, flat harness connector having one male pin and three female socket pins and a complementally formed, trailer mounted female connector including a female socket receptacle and three male pins. There is no known one piece, insulated storage caddy which can be quickly and easily mounted and attached to, and detached from, the trailer wiring harness connectors. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel storage one-piece caddy for protecting and stowing the terminal end connector of an electrical wiring harness.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a storage caddy of the type described including an electrically nonconductive base having an imperforate end face and an axially opposite perforate end face including at least one female socket.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrically nonconductive storage caddy of the type described including an electrically nonconductive base having a first socket for receiving an electrically conductive male pin terminal, a second socket adjacent thereto and a plurality of electrically non-conductive male plug members which are integral with the electrically nonconductive storage base and disposed in the second socket for receiving an electrically conductive female terminal.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a storage caddy of the type described including three laterally adjacent electrically nonconductive sockets in an end face of an electrically nonconductive base member and an electrically nonconductive male plug integral with the base and disposed adjacent the nonconductive sockets.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.